Flogas has added nine new Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks to its fleet, impressed by its safety and fuel efficiency.

The Leicester-based LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) supplier has an uncompromising approach to safety. It is also highly focused on operational efficiency, and selected the Actros following its performance in a series of fuel trials.

Supplied by East Midlands Dealer Mertrux Truck & Van, Flogas’s nine new Actros 2445s are the subject of a Mercedes-Benz Financial Services contract hire agreement. They have flat-floored StreamSpace cabs and are powered by economical, 450PS six-cylinder engines paired with Mercedes PowerShift automated transmissions.

Smaller (17.5in) wheels on the mid-lift axles save around 300Kg compared to the standard version with 22.5in wheels, while also freeing up valuable space on the chassis for discharge equipment – the trucks comply fully with PetReg standards and pull bulk tank trailers at 44 tonnes GCW.

The trucks are additionally fitted with optional Mercedes-Benz Safety Packs. Offering customers significant savings on the price they would pay if purchasing its individual elements separately, the Safety Pack includes Active Brake Assist 4 emergency braking system, which incorporates pedestrian recognition, as well as Proximity Control Assist and a driver’s airbag.

Flogas runs a fleet of nearly 400 commercial vehicles from a network of more than 50 depots located throughout the UK. Most are rigids from 3.5-26 tonnes GVW with tanks or dropside bodies for carrying cylinders, although the line-up also includes approximately 70 tractor units.

Stephen Moir, Flogas fleet manager, said: “This is the first time for many years that we have ordered new Mercedes-Benz trucks. I’ve been really impressed by the level of engagement we’ve seen from the Mertrux team. They were positive from the outset and worked very hard to win our business, responding to requests for information with clarity and detail. The communication has been superb.

 “It will come as no surprise given the nature of our business that safety is the number one priority for Flogas. As well as trunking up and down motorways and A roads, the Actros must also travel through high-density areas, where the Active Brake Assist 4 system’s ability to respond to a pedestrian stepping out in front of the truck will provide extra reassurance for our drivers. It’s a truly awesome piece of technology.”

To help the fleet maximise fuel-efficiency, Mertrux is providing driver training, it will also use data from the trucks’ Fleetboard telematics systems to analyse driver and vehicle performance, and feedback to colleagues where there are opportunities to improve style at the wheel and thereby increase economy.

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